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In This Issue (4/6) 

"I was impacted by how many people have helped me along the way or inspired me."

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Radio Vision

wz41026.jpg Linkin Bark: Warner Records/WRN's Warren Zeiders (and Teddy) with the label's Anna Cage (l) and iHeart/Kentucky's Rachel Elliot.
Atlus41026.jpg Chapter Booked: Stoney Creek's Atlus visits the Nashville Chapter of The Recording Academy. Pictured (l-r) are publicist Jay Jones, the Academy’s Kenyon Glenn and Alicia Warwick, Atlus, the Academy's Sydney Verge and Riot Music Group's Andrew Perlowich.
Caroline-Jones4926.jpg Wuthering Hearts: Big Machine's Caroline Jones with the label's Jimmy Harnen, iHeart's John Sykes and producer Ric Wake (l-r) at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
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Ring Of Bonfire: Atlantic Outpost's Sam Barber celebrates the release of Broken View with a bonfire. Pictured (l-r) are Outlaw Foundry's Jerrin Uecker, WSIX/Nashville's Gator Harrison, Atlantic's Michael Hirschhorn, the Opry's Jenn Tressler, Country Aircheck's Chuck Aly, Barber, Outlaw Foundry's Colton Kramer, CRB's RJ Curtis, Atlantic's Stephanie Hagerty and Spotify's Meagan Bennington.

Top Stories

Three Depart Black River Promo
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Black River SVP/Promotion Bill Macky has exited after 13 years amid promotion department restructuring and is seeking his next opportunity. Macky joined Black River as VPP in 2012 and rose to helm the department for the second time two years ago (Breaking News 3/14/2024). Prior stops include Epic, Sony and MCA; reach him here.

Concurrently, Midwest regional Joe Carroll and West Coast rep Jim Malito have also exited. Carroll has been with Black River for 16 years (CAT 1/3/2008) after runs with Category 5, Equity and Rust; Malito was hired in 2024 (CAT 10/23/2024) after stops including Stone Country, BBR and Warner. Reach Malito here.

"We are incredibly grateful for the work and service of these great people," says Black River CEO Gordon Kerr. Details on the newly restructured promotion staff are coming soon.

Apr 13, 2026 Share
ACM Industry & SRA Nominees
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Nominees for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards in Industry Awards and Studio Recording Awards categories are:

Bass

  • Eli Beaird
  • Tony Lucido
  • Steve Mackey
  • Mike Rinne
  • Jimmie Lee Sloas

Drummer

  • Fred Eltringham
  • Evan Hutchings
  • Chris McHugh
  • Nir Z
  • Jerry Roe

Acoustic Guitar

  • Kris Donegan
  • Todd Lombardo
  • Devin Malone
  • Bryan Sutton
  • Ilya Toshinskiy

Piano 

  • Dave Cohen
  • David Dorn
  • Charlie Judge
  • Billy Justineau
  • Gordon Mote

Specialty Instrument

  • Eleonore Denig
  • Stuart Duncan
  • Mike Johnson
  • Scotty Sanders
  • Justin Schipper

Electric Guitar

  • Kris Donegan
  • Nathan Keeterle
  • Rob McNelley
  • Sol Philcox-Littlefield
  • Derek Wells

Audio Engineer

  • Dave Clauss
  • Jim Cooley
  • Eric Masse
  • Buckley Miller
  • Justin Niebank

Producer

  • Will Bundy
  • Carson Chamberlain
  • Dann Huff
  • Chris LaCorte
  • Ben West

Casino, Theater

  • Choctaw Grand Theater; Durant, OK
  • Golden Nugget Lake Charles; Lake Charles, LA
  • Hard Rock Live (Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood); Davie, FL
  • Resorts World Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas; Las Vegas
  • The Venue at Thunder Valley at Thunder Valley Casino; Lincoln, CA

Casino, Arena

  • BECU Live at Northern Quest Casino; Airway Heights, WA
  • Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena; Atlantic City, NJ
  • Mohegan Sun Arena; Uncasville, CT
  • Soaring Eagle; Mount Pleasant, MI
  • Stir Concert Cove; Council Bluffs, IA

Festival

  • C2C: Country to Country Festival; London, England
  • CMC Rocks; Ipswich, Queensland
  • Stagecoach; Indio, CA
  • Tortuga Music Festival; Ft. Lauderdale
  • Two Step In; Georgetown, TX

Fair/Rodeo

  • Calgary Stampede; Calgary, Alberta
  • California Mid-State Fair; Paso Robles, CA
  • Cheyenne Frontier Days; Cheyenne, WY
  • Florida Strawberry Festival; Plant City, FL
  • San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo; San Antonio

Club 

  • Billy Bob’s Texas; Fort Worth
  • Brooklyn Bowl; Nashville
  • Cain's Ballroom; Tulsa
  • Joe's Live; Rosemont, IL
  • The Pinnacle; Nashville

Theater

  • Blue Gate Theatre; Shipshewana, IN
  • Grand Ole Opry House; Nashville
  • State Theatre; Portland, ME
  • The Franklin Theatre; Franklin, TN
  • Ryman Auditorium; Nashville

Outdoor Venue

  • CMAC; Canandaigua, NY
  • Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre; Denver
  • Floores Country Store; Helotes, TX
  • The Orion Amphitheater; Huntsville, AL
  • Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, CO
  • Walmart AMP (Arkansas Music Pavilion); Rogers, AR

Arena

  • BOK Center; Tulsa, OK
  • Bridgestone Arena; Nashville
  • Dickies Arena; Ft. Worth
  • Paycom Center; Oklahoma City
  • T-Mobile Center; Kansas City

Don Romeo Talent Buyer

  • Andrew Fortin, Neste Live!
  • Susan Heymann, Frontier Touring
  • Stacy Vee, Goldenvoice
  • Ed Warm, Joe's Concerts
  • Del Williams, Danny Wimmer Presents

Promoter

  • Patrick McDill, Live Nation
  • Brian O'Connell, Live Nation
  • Bob Roux, Live Nation
  • Rich Schaefer, AEG Presents
  • Adam Weiser, AEG Presents

Winners in these categories will be announced in the coming weeks, with honorees recognized at the 19th Academy of Country Music Honors in Nashville later this year. Nominees in main categories will be celebrated May 17 at the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, streamed live on Prime Video. Voting starts today and Country Aircheck's ACM Voter's Guide will be published this afternoon.

Apr 13, 2026 Share
ACM Awards Nominees 2026
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The 61st Academy Of Country Music Awards nominees are:

Entertainer

  • Luke Combs
  • Jelly Roll
  • Cody Johnson
  • Megan Moroney
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Morgan Wallen
  • Lainey Wilson

Female

  • Kelsea Ballerini
  • Miranda Lambert
  • Ella Langley
  • Megan Moroney
  • Lainey Wilson

Male

  • Luke Combs
  • Riley Green
  • Cody Johnson
  • Chris Stapleton
  • Zach Top

Duo

  • Brooks & Dunn
  • Brothers Osborne
  • Dan + Shay
  • Muscadine Bloodline
  • Thelma & James

Group

  • 49 Winchester
  • Flatland Cavalry
  • Old Dominion
  • Rascal Flatts
  • The Red Clay Strays

New Female

  • Avery Anna
  • Mackenzie Carpenter
  • Dasha
  • Caroline Jones
  • Emily Ann Roberts

New Male

  • Gavin Adcock
  • Vincent Mason
  • Shaboozey
  • Hudson Westbrook
  • Tucker Wetmore

Album

  • Ain’t In It For My Health, Zach Top
  • Cherry Valley, Carter Faith
  • Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe), Riley Green
  • I’m The Problem, Morgan Wallen
  • Parker McCollum, Parker McCollum

Single

  • "6 Months Later," Megan Moroney
  • "Choosin’ Texas," Ella Langley
  • "I Never Lie," Zach Top
  • "Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson
  • "The Fall," Cody Johnson

Song

  • "A Song To Sing," Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, writers: Stapleton, Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure
  • "Am I Okay?" Megan Moroney, writers: Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon
  • "Choosin’ Texas," Ella Langley, writers: Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor
  • "I Never Lie," Zach Top, writers: Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols
  • "Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson, writers: Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg

Music Event

  • "A Song To Sing," Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton
  • "Amen," Shaboozey, Jelly Roll
  • "Don’t Mind If I Do," Riley Green, Ella Langley
  • "Trailblazer," Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson
  • "You Had To Be There," Megan Moroney, Kenny Chesney
     

Visual Media

  • "6 Months Later," Megan Moroney
  • "A Song To Sing," Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton
  • "Cuckoo," Stephen Wilson, Jr.
  • "Somewhere Over Laredo," Lainey Wilson
  • "The Fall," Cody Johnson

Artist-Songwriter

  • Luke Combs
  • Riley Green
  • Ella Langley
  • Megan Moroney
  • Morgan Wallen

Songwriter

  • Jessie Jo Dillon
  • Ashley Gorley
  • Charlie Handsome
  • Chase McGill
  • Blake Pendergrass

The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards will stream live on Prime Video May 17 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets are available here,

Apr 9, 2026 Share
February CDM Ratings
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Ella Paso: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for February 2026 (three-month rolling average, 12/10/25-3/4/26) compared with December and January. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Albuquerque, NM (Market 72) 

KBQI iHeartMedia
3.8 (6) - 3.2 (7) - 2.9 (9)
KBQI-HD2 iHeartMedia Cl. Ctry.
2.0 (13) - 1.9 (14) - 1.7 (16)
KRST 
Cumulus
Does not subscribe.

El Paso, TX
(77)

KHEY iHeartMedia
5.4 (6) - 5.7 (5t) - 5.2 (6)

Harrisburg, PA
(87)
WRBT iHeartMedia
4.7 (2) - 4.8 (2t) - 4.0 (5)
Apr 10, 2026 Share
Recent Stories
Apr 10, 2026 Wilson Departs iHeartMedia: Among those departing amid iHeartMedia's companywide restructuring of sales and market management positions (CAT 4/9) is ... Read full story
Apr 10, 2026 Cup Of Joe: New Revolution VP/Promotion Joe Schuld has resigned, and is moving from Tennessee to Colorado to be closer to ... Read full story
Apr 10, 2026 Reve-News: Cumulus, which filed for Chapter 11 reorganization last month (CAT 3/5), reported 2025 revenue of $741.7 million, down 10.3% from 2024. ... Read full story
Apr 9, 2026 iHeart Departures: iHeartMedia/Denver Region Pres. Brenda Egger has exited after more than six years with the company. Egger's oversight ... Read full story
Apr 9, 2026 Propeller Hat: Former Paramount Sr. Producer/Marketing & Creative Production Mark Thomas has joined Propeller in Nashville as Dir./Talent &... Read full story
Apr 9, 2026 Tour Support: Zach Top has extended his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour through the summer, with new stops in Pittsburgh, Boise and Orange Beach, ... Read full story

 

 

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2026 ACM Voter's Guide
A quick reference guide to the 2026 ACM Nominees



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The CRS 2026 Print Special featuring: Hey-Hi, AI: Emerging Uses
Best CRS Takeaways Ever
Label Contacts
New Faces
Travis Daily: The Interview



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Inside This Issue: 

MC-Yay At Ryman Lunch
Disruption Junction
You Look Like You Love Me
The Day Ahead

 

 

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